Today, the mafias are employing women and children with impunity, with the objective of forcing emotional blackmail on the police. Cases have been noted in which immigrants pass themselves off as parents of the children only to abandon them later when they gain their objective of entering Spain. "I believe it is criminal behaviour to use children and assume the identity of their parents for these purposes," said representative of the government of Melilla, Abdelmalik El Barkani.

...This week has witnessed two crews threatening to set fire to the boat, occupied by women and children, as seen in this video made available by the regional government. In it can be seen a man showing a bottle full of gasoline and a lighter in his other hand, while trying to get the patrol to let him pass.

For the coercion to have an even greater effect, various women leave their supposed children highly visible and even at some moments exhibit them by lifting them up rather than grasping them to their breasts as any mother would do out of pure instinct if she felt that the boat might be set on fire.